Kerry Says He Has 'Big Heels to Fill' at State

Monday

Feb 4, 2013 at 9:33 PM

By BRADLEY KLAPPERTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON | New Secretary of State John Kerry reported for duty Monday, acknowledging that as Hillary Rodham Clinton's successor he has "big heels to fill" and promising to protect U.S. foreign service workers from terrorist attacks overseas. On his first day at the office in his new job, the former senator and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate was greeted with loud cheers by employees of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. As the first man in the post in eight years, Kerry referred to his two most recent predecessors, Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, by asking in jest: "Can a man actually run the State Department?" "I don't know," he answered. "As the saying goes, I have big heels to fill." Kerry told his new agency's employees that he and President Barack Obama needed their help to make America safer and the world more prosperous and peaceful. And after noting the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, Kerry said the protection of American diplomats would be a top priority. "I guarantee you that beginning this morning when I report for duty upstairs, everything I do will be focused on the security and safety of our people," he said. Kerry, 69, is the son of a diplomat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 28 years — chairman since 2009. He also spoke of his childhood time in Germany and learning the virtues of freedom.